Plastic metallic packing for steam-engines.



No. 687,629. Patented Nov. 26, 19m.

w. s. JABBDE,

PLASTICMETALLIO'PAGKING FOR STEAM ENGINES;

{Application filed May a, 1901.?

(IloMmIeL) WITNESSES I I 17V VEN OR W 6 07 v yjmorwys I m: ucnms PETER! 0o. Pnovuuma. WASHINGTON o. c:

I NITED STAT S P TENT OFFICE.

WALTER S. JARBOE, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

PLASTIC METALLIC PACKING FOR STEAM-ENGINES.

. SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 687,629, dated November 26, 1901.

Application filed May 8, 1901. Serial No. 59,309. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER S. JARBOE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Plastic Metallic Packing for Steam-Engines and other Purposes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has relation to packings, and relates in particular to pa'ckings for pistonrods, valve-stems, &e., and has for its object the provision of a packing material of novel character that may be transportedand handled in mass, as distinguished from packings which are in the form of rings or other definite forms and which may be packed into the packing boxes of steam engine cylinders, pump-cylinders, valve-boxes, or other similar positions in such quantity as may be required.

My invention consists in the novel packing hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown a stuffing-box of the ordinary character with my improved packing in the packing-space A thereof.

In carrying my invention into effect, I produce a plastic mass by the admixture of ametal alloy in the form of pellets, graphite in a finely-divided condition, and grease," and this mass I transport and handle in bulk and put into use by taking from the mass such quantity as may be required to fill the packing-box, or other position in which a packing may be required; The particular materials which I prefer to use are grease of a high meltingpoint, preferably the lubricating-grease prepared from petroleum, graphite in a finelydivided and flaky condition, and small pellets consisting of an alloy ofBabbitt metal and lead. These materials I mix together in the following manner: The materials are placed in a pony mixer or other machine of similar kind and thoroughly mixed into a homogeneous mass. The resultant product is a stiff, plastic, viscous, kneadable, somewhat-elastic mass, which I place in suitable receptacles and transport and handle in bulk. In using the packing such quantity as may be required is taken from a package of the same and put into the packing-box with a spatula, trowel, or other suitable implement, and the gland is then screwed down. The plastic character of the packing will cause it to assume the form of the space in which it is confined and to closely embrace the rod, stem, or other part which passes through the packing-box and form a perfectlysteam, vapor, and water tight joint without the necessity of undue pressure from the gland. The plastic and elastic qualities of the packing enable it to adapt itself to inequalities of the piston-rod or other moving part which passes through it and the packing, while of suificient density to resist the passage ofsteam or vapor without being blown out of the packing-box, is sufiiciently soft to oppose substantially no resistance in the way of appreciable friction to the movement of the piston-rod, valve-stem, or other part passing through the packing. In this particular of offering no frictional resistance to the part around which it is packed the well-known antifrictional qualities of the Babbitt metal and graphite are supplemented by the lubrieating qualities of the grease.

No precise proportion of graphite to grease need be followed in preparing the packing, as the function of the graphite is mainly to increase the melting-point of the grease, and hence the proportion of the graphite to grease may vary to a considerable extent, depending on the temperature to which the packing is to be subjected; but I have found a suitble compound for use in a steam-engine of the ordinary character can be produced by mixing together equal parts, by measure, of grease and graphite. So, too, in the mixture of the combined grease and graphite with the metallic pellets no definite proportions need be fol lowed, as the proportion will vary with the size of the pellets, it being sufficient to pour over a body of the pellets enough of the grease and graphite compound to fill all the spaces between the pellets.

I am aware that it has been proposed to make compounds for packing composed of various antifriction materials mixed with oil; but in any compound employing oil as a vehicle the oil is liable to settle and separate from the solid material, whereas I produce a plastic mass which will not separate into its too component parts and which does not require any inclosing integnment or backing.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. A packing for piston-rods and the like consisting of a stifi, viscous, kneadable plastic mass composed of plastic grease having high melting-point, a filling, such as graphite to increase the melting-point of the grease and a metallic alloy of antifriction metal in the form of pellets.

2. A packing for piston-rods and the like consisting of an antifriction metallic alloy in the form of pellets, graphite, in a finely-divided condition and petroleum-grease having high melting-point, the ingredients being mixed together and formed into a stifi, plastic, viscous kneadable mass substantially as described.

3. A plastic packing composed of plastic grease, havinga high melting-point, graphite, and a metallic alloy in the form of pellets.

4. A packing composed of graphite in a finely-divided and flaky condition, petroleum-grease of a plastic consistency and an alloy of Babbitt metal and lead.

5. A plastic packing consisting of a body of closely-agglomerated metallicpellets having interstices filled with a mixture of grease of plastic consistency having a high -meltingpoint and graphite. p

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

WALTER S. JARBOE.

Witnesses:

Joe. B. OoNNoLLY, THOS. A. CONNOLLSL. 

